Automatic clothes dryers typically include a housing (also known as a bulkhead) and a rotating drum supported within the housing. It is known to use seal elements in the form of rings of felt which may be disposed between the housing and the drum so as to bear against the drum as it rotates. The use of a sealing element is desirable to prevent air leakage between the drum and the clothes dryer cabinet which could detrimentally affect the air flow system of the dryer. It is known to utilize seals in the form of multi-layered ring structures incorporating a folded over exterior layer such as wool or wool blend nonwoven material with a spacer material such as polyester or polyester blend material held within the folded over exterior. The legs projecting outwardly from the folded edge form a sealing contacting relation with the rotating drum. In known past constructions of this type the spacer material was typically held in place by two seams with a first positioning seam running between the upper edge of the spacer material and one side of the folded over exterior and a second holding seam extending at an inboard position through all three layers so as to establish a coordinated stable structure.
In the past the use of a first positioning seam and a second holding seam was believed to be necessary to maintain the desired spatial relation between the folded over exterior and the internal spacer material. Maintenance of this spatial relationship is required in order to retain the desired thickness of material between the drum and the housing. In the event that the internal spacer becomes disengaged from or unduly skewed relative to the folded over exterior, the seal efficiency may be greatly reduced thereby permitting hot air to exit the dryer drum and travel into the cabinet.